Monday, 18 August 2014

The big, fat, sugar debate

We like to keep our ears to the ground when it comes to the latest
health and nutrition news and lately there seems to be a big focus on sugar.
Where we used to be warned about the dangers of too much fat in our diet, more
recently the leading culprit being linked to the obesity epidemic in the West
is sugar. The latest plan for cutting sugar out of your diet I’ve heard about
is an 8 week detox plan. A friend of
mine is following this plan and has felt incredible results - more energy, more
alert, weight loss and her tastes have changed. She no longer craves processed
sugary ‘foods’ and feels great. For a shorter period she has also limited her
fruit intake for a short time, which I couldn’t see myself doing as I think there are too many
nutrients in fresh fruit and that it is excessive to deprive your body of those but
more on the sugar in fruit in a future blog!

I heard recently that sugar is the most addictive substance on the
planet, and I can believe it. I admit I’m an addict! You only have to google
search ‘sugar addiction’ to find reams of information about the dangers of
over-consumption: obesity, diabetes, increased cancer risk, heart disease. There
is a huge amount of interest in the effect of sugar on our bodies, how much
sugar we actually need and how the over-consumption of refined sugar is affecting
our health, but one simple conclusion we can draw from all the current research
is that refined sugar (found in table sugar, fizzy drinks, cakes, biscuits,
chocolate, sweets – all the “fun” stuff!) is being massively over-consumed and
is not good for us.

So it makes sense to reduce or even cut out refined sugar all together
(I don't include fruit here which contains naturally occurring sugar as well as other
nutrients and soluble fibre), but this is far easier said than done, for three
reasons:

It’s addictive (some doctors say more so than
cocaine and many of us are addicted to sugar and don’t even realise) – as you
begin to cut it out you can start to crave it.

It’s
readily available – I think more so than healthy options. Just stop at a
motorway services or corner shop and you are bombarded with sugary snacks,
drinks etc. You have to be prepared and know where to shop and where to avoid
if you want to stay away from temptation.

It’s
hidden in many foods – even more sneakily our trusty food manufacturers ‘hide’
it in foods beneath cleverly labelled ‘low fat’ and so called healthy foods
which can actually be packed with sugar.

Below is a list of places it often hides, a few tips on checking labels
and the current recommended daily intake. If like me, you are intending on
battling the sugar I hope some of the following helps…

The new recommendations from the World Health Organisation (WHO) are
that only 5% of your daily calorie intake should consist of added or 'free'
sugars. This equates to approximately five-six
teaspoons for women and seven-eight
teaspoons for men – just for comparison one Snickers bar - contains 7 teaspoons of sugar.

TIPS AND ADVICE

If you want to kick the habit the sensible advice out there seems to be
‘don’t get drastic’. Experts suggest
making small, simple changes to your diet that you can sustain over time. Eat
more fruits and vegetables, drink more water and eat less processed food. Cut
out a little bit of sugar each week. After a few weeks of cutting back on sugar
you will start to adjust and the cravings will subside.

Like my friend is experiencing you can retrain your taste buds. You don't need sugar as much as you think
you do. Experts say if we wean ourselves off sugar, we can train our taste buds
to enjoy things that aren't as sweet. Cut out one sugary food from your diet
each week. Get out of the habit of having dessert after meals. Over time, you
should lose your dependence on that sensation.

Tip: Add protein. High
protein foods digest more slowly than high carbs, making you feel fuller for
longer. It also doesn’t give you blood sugar spikes like refined carbs and sugars
do. Healthy sources of protein include lean chicken or turkey, natural yoghurt,
eggs, nuts or beans.

Sugar withdrawal: When you
first cut back on sugar, you are likely to go through a withdrawal. You might
feel tired, irritable or on edge, but this shouldn’t last too long – approximately
two weeks depending on how quickly you cut it out. The quicker you cut it out the harder the withdrawal
but the quicker you’ll be free from sugar addiction.

Water - also don't forget some tips form our last blog on drinking plenty of water - staying hydrated will mean you only feel hungry when you really are and not when you're actually just thirsty!

I’m starting with cutting out
treats/desserts after meals as my first goal, try whatever works for you –
you know yourself better than anyone. Also knowing that you'll soon be free
from your sugar cravings and on the road to better health can also be a real
motivator. Good luck!